We're the Same
by Kjsama
Summary: Tumblr Prompt from aussiepatsfan: "Klaroline but in the Pacific Rim Universe. They get paired up as pilots and have to share each other's memories and thoughts. Would be awesome to see a fight between a Jaeger and a Kaiju."


**Prompt: Klaroline but in the Pacific Rim universe, they get paired as pilots and have to share each other's memories and thoughts, would be awesome to see a fight between a jaeger and kaiju.**

 *****NOW EDITED!**

 _So excited to write this one! I've never written a prompt before and it's been awhile since I've seen the movie so bear with me if I get some facts wrong. Regardless, thanks for the brilliant prompt! I haven't stop thinking about it since it's been brought to my attention_ _. Here's Pacific Rim with a Klaroline twist. Enjoy!_

 **Klaus POV**

It's grunt work, building the protective wall around the city to keep the bloody aliens that have invaded the planet out, but it's just what I need.

A distraction. Something to do.

I was no longer the ace Yaeger pilot Klaus of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC), kicking Kaiju arse back to whatever planet they came from.

I was just Niklaus. A man. Getting by.

Should of known that wouldn't last for someone like me that always has their past running after them.

The past comes in the form of Alaric Saltzman, the supervisor of my last mission as a pilot, and Marshal of the PPDC.

At the gate entrance of the wall, a fighter lands bearing him. When he steps out, I vaguely process how his visit cannot be a good thing, before my attention is commanded elsewhere…

To the beautiful female blond coming up beside him, clad in a leather body suit that hugs all her curves in such a way that it is screaming for someone to ravish her. Her flawless curls catch the sun's rays so brightly that, for a moment, she seems to become as bright and brilliant as the sun itself. I take in the soft smile on her lips as Alaric whispers something in her ear and the intimacy of it makes my stomach churn.

 _Isn't he old enough to be her father?_ I can't help but think disdainfully. _Bloody cradle robber…_

"Klaus!" he calls out.

Glancing about the gate entrance first to make sure no one heard, I glare at him. "Klaus is dead," I growl at him lowly. "My name is…"

"Niklaus. Forgot you've been going by that since you went into hiding."

I narrow my eyes at his judgmental tone.

"Mind if we take this inside?" he continues. "We need to talk..."

I cut him off. "Whatever we have to discuss, we can do it here."

The blond beside him suddenly scoffs, shaking her head, taking out her tablet to make some kind of notation.

Her disapproval catches my attention and I speak to her for the first time, taking in her genuine beauty more closely. "Something to say love?"

She rolls her eyes and keeps at her task.

I sigh at her lack of response. "So you like them pretty, young, mute and dumb, eh Alaric?"

Her head snaps up at that, her eyes blazing, stepping into me.

Her floral scent laced with honey, makes my senses spin and awakens an urge in me to pull her closer, bury my nose into her hair, her skin…

"What did you say?" she snaps.

I smirk, coming back to reality. "Oh. She speaks!"

"Oh! And you're an original jackass," she shoots back with a glare. "So glad we got that out of the way."

I let out a mock gasp, a hand flying over my heart. "You wound me sweetheart! Do you really think that low of me?"

"Yes!" she says without a moment's hesitation and her spunk, her fire is nothing short of stunning, enthralling me. "We haven't even been here a minute and you're making assumptions, disrespecting a Marshal..."

"Caroline," says Alaric in a chastising tone, stopping her rant in its tracks.

 _Caroline._ I commit the name into my memory while I watch in disappointment as Caroline steps back, head down.

"Sorry," she mumbles. "I think I'll leave you two to it. I'll check in with the men."

Without a backwards glance, Caroline leaves, my eyes never leaving her figure, or missing the sway of her hips as she walks off, mumbling what sounds like:

"To think I was looking forward to meeting him. Rookie mistake Care. Stupid."

A rare smile crosses my face, unbidden. She had wanted to meet me...

"Niklaus."

I bring my gaze back to Alaric, my smile slowly dissipating.

Oh. Forgot he was here.

"Forgive Caroline. She gets really passionate about things."

I wonder what else I can get her _passionate_ about, invoking a mental image involving a bed, and lots of skin, preferably hers.

"I see," I murmur, looking back to the fighter the blond firecracker just went into briefly. "Your wife?" I manage to say in question, almost choking on the words, but finding that I needed to know. The thought of her with him…

Alaric lets out a hearty laugh. "God no! My…daughter? I guess?" he says unsure, scratching his face bashfully. "Took her in when her parents died during the Kaiju invasion of Mystic Falls a few years back."

"Ah," I say in understanding and feeling foolish for my negative thoughts toward Alaric earlier. After a brief pause, I finally ask:

"Mind telling me why you're here mate?"

* * *

Later that day, after speaking with Alaric, I'm in my room, finishing with packing. I have just slung the bag with my things over my shoulder before the door to my room slams and Kol comes barreling through it.

I sigh. _Brilliant._

He glances at the bag, then to me.

"So it's true," he says grimly, his normally playful demeanor gone to give way to a rare moment of seriousness. "You're leaving."

"Does Bekah know?" I ask.

"Not yet."

"Good. Don't tell her."

"Are you insane?!" he suddenly shouts. "She has a right to say goodbye to her dead brother!"

I give him a scoff and a chuckle. "I'm not going to die Kol. Keep going with the dramatics though and you'll be giving our sister a run for her money."

"This isn't a joke Brother!" He snaps heatedly, not amused. "We agreed we'd stay far away from those aliens, especially after Elijah…"

I stiffen the minute the words leave his mouth and he shuts up quickly, emotion overtaking him.

He turns away and I cross the distance as he composes himself. I put a hesitant hand of comfort on his shoulder, not used this...consoling thing.

"I know. I know," I tell him softly, squeezing it awkwardly. "And I'm sorry, but the war between us humans and the Kaiju has gotten worse. It's what Alaric came to tell me. If I don't go, millions, including you and Bekah, will die."

 _And I can't lose anyone else._

He doesn't turn around, but he nods his head. "Just…" he clears his throat, grumbling. "Just don't come back to us the way Elijah did alright? You idiot."

I swallow the lump in my throat, remembering _exactly_ the way Elijah came back to the family. I nod, unable to use my voice.

He seems to sense it without seeing me nod, because he leaves without another word, leaving me to silently pray that I don't break that promise, the face of a smiling Elijah from all those years ago, darkening my footsteps as I go back to the PPDC Shatterdome (the home of all Jaeger pilots) for the first time in years.

* * *

The minute I step foot in the Shatterdome, it's like returning home, the smells, the fleet of weapons and Jaegers saturating the place. Notably though, the number of Jaegers, the robots we humans pilot to fight the beasts, have dwindled tremendously.

Yet, among all of them, one of them catches my eye and I freeze in awe before it, my vision eating her up as I haven't seen it since my last ride as a pilot.

"Well. Hello there sweetheart," I whisper to it.

 _The Hybrid_ , A Mach III yaeger, stands proudly before me, flawless and rebuilt.

As if the worse day of my life never happened in her presence at all.

"Pretty right?"

My head turns in the direction of the now familiar melodic voice, my eyes following the pretty blond as she comes to stand by my side, her eyes locked on the Yaeger.

"I've updated it," she says proudly, with a bright smile. "The Plasmacaster took forever to load after one shot so I fixed that. It can now shoot five blast rounds before needing to reload. I also outfitted it with more weapons. Won't spoil with what," she smiles so broadly that I find myself returning it. "But it's really awesome. She's a beauty, your _Hybrid_."

She pauses then, bowing her head. Her smile fades as something comes to her mind and I miss the light her smile radiates already.

"I know you have a lot of bad memories in it…" she starts solemnly.

My smile fades into dust at the reminder.

"…But I put a lot of work in restoring it…"

My eyebrows shoot up, finally processing her words. I'm genuinely impressed and intrigued, not expecting a woman of her looks to be so smart. Yaeger mechanics weren't for the average person after all. "Wait. You? You fixed it?"

Her head snaps up and she turns a gorgeous shade of red, embarrassed. "I didn't do it myself!" she sputters. "I had help. Otherwise it would of taken forever, well, we did fall behind schedule a few times due to some Kaiju battles and the parts taking way too long to come in and then there was the time they gave us the wrong part and that was _huge_ problem since it just brought everything to a stop, because seriously? How do you get an engine and propulsion system mixed up? Just because I'm blond doesn't mean I'm dumb people! And then there was the time…"

"Thank you," I say softly, smiling at her again as she bites her lower lip adorably, giving me a nod. "You did an impeccable job love."

The blush returns.

"I tried. It may have some improvements but it's the same _Hybrid_ you and Elijah rode."

I tense up, not saying anything as she gives me a pitying look that does nothing but boil my blood.

I hated that look, especially from her.

"I'm sorry about your brother. You and him…"

"If it's all the same to you love, I'd rather not speak about it," I state bluntly, deterring my gaze from her, completely uncomfortable with this conversation now.

"I understand…"

"Understand what exactly?" I growl at her viciously. "I highly doubt _anyone_ gets how it feels to be mentally linked to someone as they get ripped apart, bits and pieces of them splattering all over the place as they die!"

"Oh GOD! Why do I even _bother_?!" she shouts hotly in my face, clearly exasperated. "Here I am, reaching out to you despite you calling me a dumb blonde earlier, and _still_ you can't get out of your own way!" She lets out an angry huff. "Yes! No one can get how horrible it is to lose someone you love _that way_ , but that doesn't mean we aren't all struggling to deal with that same pain, that same loss! _That_ is what I understand!"

I fall silent, taken aback by her emotion, the way her eyes fill with unshed tears, and instantly I wished I acted differently, a rarity for me.

"I'm…"

She squeezes her eyes shut, raising a finger to silence me.

"Save it. I've learned my lesson. Business only."

I sigh, regretful for letting my emotions about Elijah get the better of me. "Caroline…"

"Alaric wants us to report in the training room with the other pilots in five. Be there."

She doesn't give me a chance to say anything else, blowing past me in record time.

* * *

In the training room, new pilots fight against one another to assess who they have the best Drift compatibility with. Those pilots who are drift compatible co pilot a Yaeger together to fight against the alien Kaiju. The pilots with high drift compatibility tend to become legendary and the most efficient with their Yaeger.

Like Elijah and I.

Caroline and Alaric stand in the front of the room, Caroline taking notes on the recruits while Alaric whispers comments to her from time to time.

Not once does she even look my way, to my dismay, still upset with me.

 _I really have to find a way to a acquit myself_ , I think with a frown.

Reluctantly, I turn my head to watch the pilots, especially Tyler and Matt, fight one another, unimpressed. Their style is impulsive, sloppy, predictable, a complete bore.

They're meant for each other.

I can tell Alaric feels the same way, saying a second later:

"Alright. You two will pilot _The Wolf._ Deployment in 0800."

They celebrate, high fiving each other.

I roll my eyes. Idiots.

"Klaus."

The room falls silent when Alaric calls my name, everyone's attention falling on me as I push off the wall to walk to the middle of the training room.

The whispers start and I zone them out, focusing.

"Damon," says Alaric once I arrive to the middle of the room and a bow stick is thrown in my direction that I catch.

A dark haired bloke with piercing blue eyes comes to the floor, a lopsided grin gracing his face. He twirls the bow stick in his hand threateningly and I almost laugh in his face.

"Begin."

He lunges. Immediately, I parry and knock him to the ground.

I smirk at the shocked look on his face.

"What's the matter mate? Too fast for you?"

With an upset yell, he goes to tackle me, but I dodge, slam the bow stick harshly on his back, then flip the stick so it catches him squarely under the chin, knocking him backwards.

The crowd lets out a groan when Damon's body hits the ground hard, and moans in pain.

Caroline is pushing buttons on her tablet when Alaric says suddenly, taking us both by surprise:

"Enough. Caroline, go."

She stops her note taking, eyes going wide. "Seriously?"

"Go ahead. You want to be a pilot right? Fight Klaus," says Alaric.

She lets out an unladylike snort. "Come on. It's barely fair."

I smirk. "No worries love. I'll be gentle."

"Actually," her gaze hard and unrelenting. "I meant it wouldn't be fair to you, being rusty and all."

The crowd lets out an instigating oooh, as my smirk broadens at her sass. "Big words. Now, get down here so I can give you a proper beating."

Her eyes narrow at me as she passes her tablet to Alaric. She quickly ties her hair in a ponytail, accentuating her long, slender neck.

I really have to try hard not to imagine gliding my lips along it.

She grabs Damon's bow stick from the floor, the man himself stumbling to his feet to go to the sidelines.

Our eyes lock on each other right when Alaric says:

"Begin."

This time, I go on the offensive. I take her by surprise, causing her to trip on her feet, and to fall backward with a gasp.

I pin her to the ground with the bow stick, kneeling to hover over her to the point that I can feel her warm breath fanning my face.

"Shame," I whisper to her, enjoying the feel of her squirming underneath me. "Looks like this will be over before we know it."

"Please," she spits out, a slow smile falling on her lips. Her eyes are dark when she leans forward to purr in my ear. "That was just foreplay."

The sexual innuendo doesn't get lost on me. I return her smile with a wolfish grin. "Well then sweetheart," I tease against her cheek. "Now that we got each other all hot and bothered, let's have a real go."

Unpredictably, she hits my thigh hard with the bow stick in response, making me double back in pain. She already anticipated that, flipping the stick so it comes down to hit my shoulder, but I manage to block her swing.

A good five minutes pass and neither of us are giving the other any slack. By this point, we are going full out but we can't get the upper hand each other.

I haven't felt the thrill of a fight this good in ages. I haven't fought anyone who could keep up with me since Elijah. I revel in her skill, her fire, admiration at her ability welling up in me…

And that's when it dawns on me.

Caroline and I are drift compatible.

"Stop," sounds Alaric's voice.

Grunts of disapproval chorus throughout the room, the entertainment produced through the fight between Caroline and I being lost on me till that moment.

"Come on Boss," shouts out Tyler. "It was getting good! They are totally meant to pilot together."

The room responds in agreement till Alaric silences them, displeased.

"Shut up! All of you. Caroline. Come."

"When do Caroline and I start?" I ask him before she goes.

She gives me a bright smile, obviously more thrilled at being a pilot than being angry at me at the moment.

"Caroline isn't ready."

Her smile falls, upset. "Wait. What?"

"Klaus is an experienced Yaeger pilot and you've never driven one. It would foolish to throw you in the front lines…"

"Seriously Alaric?!" explodes Caroline. "I've aced all my simulations, repaired _the Hybrid_." She lets out a mirthless chuckle. "And now, like some awful joke, I'm drift compatible the guy who hates me."

I frown at that. Not happy that she seems to believe that when my feelings for her is far from hate.

"I have to be his copilot or he can't drive _the Hybrid_ ," she continues. "And we all know we need every Yaeger we can get…"

"He'll find someone else," answers Alaric bluntly. "End of discussion."

I glance at her, seeing her visibly shake with fury before she storms off.

I glare at Alaric's back when he leaves as well and I go after him.

"Hey!" I call out to him when we've left the training room.

He stops walking but doesn't turn.

"I won't pilot _the Hybrid_ without her," I declare.

"Are you ordering me?" he says, his voice dangerously low.

"Not at all mate. Just making you a promise."

Having my say, I turn on my heel and walk away.

* * *

The next day, I'm suddenly awakened by one of the pilots.

"Klaus! Kaiju attack! Alaric wants you to suit up and to enter _the Hybrid_ for a sync up."

Once there, I'm silently plotting the show of rebellion I will demonstrate if anyone but Caroline comes into cockpit, but she arrives a minute later, suited up, giving me a shy smile, and mouthing a "Thank you."

I simply smile at her, bowing my head bashfully and pleased that I have been forgiven of my past transgressions. I strap up as Alaric 's voice comes through the speakers.

"Okay you two. Showtime. Let's see how drift compatible you two really are. Let's get you two drifting and ready to kick some Kaiju ass."

"Okay love," I say to her lowly. "Whatever you do, don't lock on to any memory. It won't end well."

She takes a deep breath, and nods her head emphatically. She's clenching and clenching her hands, clearly nervous.

I grasp it and she glances at our joined hands, then at me.

"You'll be alright."

She nods again.

"You're strong, beautiful, full of light. You can do this."

"Okay," she whispers, her eyes locked into mine.

I hold the contact as the computer signals the beginning of the Drift, only letting go when I feel my mind connect with _the Hybrid_ and then with Caroline's.

Within seconds, we can move _the Hybrid_. In minutes we are able to control our respective sides of _the Hybrid_ : Caroline controlling the left and I, the right.

"You guys are doing great," says Alaric's voice coming through the speakers. "I've honestly never seen pilots drift together so quickly…"

 _See? I told him I could do this!_ Chimes in Caroline's voice.

I covertly cut my eye in her direction. Seeing her mouth isn't moving, I must be hearing her thoughts via the link. I guess no one taught her how to rein in her private thoughts.

 _Fantastic._

I smirk, listening on.

 _So happy Klaus talked some sense into him,_ continues Caroline in her mind. _I wonder why he did it though, seeing that he hates me._

I frown, feeling her sadness about that.

 _Sure we're drift compatible but he's such a great pilot he probably could drift with anyone, not that he needs to know that. Being as hot as he is with that sexy accent of his, he probably has enough girls boosting his enormous ego. Wonder if he has an enormous di…_

My mouth nearly drops at the dirty thought right then when an announcement comes through the speakers alerting us to our arrival to the battle space.

Minutes later, we're landing right in the middle of the battlefield.

We spot a Kaiju overtaking one of the other Jaegers and without a word, Caroline and I raise our Plasmacasters and empty our rounds into the Kaiju, saving the pilots.

"Thanks guys," comes in Matt's voice through the speakers. "Just in…Behind you!"

We turn, making _the Hybrid_ duck and I hear the whisper of Caroline's voice saying: "Chain swords."

We activate them at the same time, the blades slicing through the oncoming Kaiju like butter. We then finish the job and slice it in half.

"Well done Niklaus! Now we can go home."

I turn to my right abruptly, seeing Elijah instead of Caroline beside me.

A rare smile is on Elijah's face. It is the smile that only appears when we are fighting together.

" 'Lijah…" I whisper.

"What are you waiting for?" he says with a chuckle. "Kol and Rebekah are awaiting us. We mustn't delay," he says in that annoyingly proper speaking manner of his.

I nod mutely, a soft murmur in the background echoing, but I ignore it, moving to the controls to move _the Hybrid._

The soft murmur gets insistent when the Kaiju I thought we killed is on top of us, tearing into Elijah's half of the cockpit and parts of him in the process.

I'm screaming, tears of despair coming down my face when I take control my plasmacaster on _the Hybrid's_ arm to blast the Kaiju to kingdom come. As I pull the trigger, the insistent murmur becomes Caroline's voice, screaming at me to wake up.

It's then I realized that I just did what I told Caroline not to do before we left.

I had locked on a memory.

Her voice is the anchor I use to pull myself out, finding myself back on the cockpit briefly before I feel myself being yanked into another memory.

This time, it's not my own.

Locking on to my memory must have caused Caroline's mind to become unbalanced trying to get me back, making her become trapped in her own now.

People are screaming and running around a young girl with blond pigtails who is standing in front of me, her face streaked with tears, holding a teddy bear. She's staring at something behind me, forcing me to turn around.

A giant Kaiju is there, its roar rocking what's left of town we are standing in as it speeds towards us, smaller Kaiju running about, killing at will.

Little Caroline is picked up by a blond woman who runs with her, turning into an alley as people get eaten up. The woman puts her down to pull open a grate covering a small vent.

"Go in Caroline. Mommy's right here. Don't turn around."

The minute Caroline goes in, a Kaiju pounces on her Mother. I cringe at the sight as it devours her, turning away.

When it's over, Caroline comes out of the vent, approaching her mother's mutilated corpse with a shaky free hand, the other clutching the teddy bear tight against her.

I kneel down before her, trying to get her attention. "Come on love. Snap out of it," I tell her. "It's all in your head! Caroline!"

"Mommy?" she chokes out, not hearing me, fresh tears pouring out of her eyes.

Another Kaiju slides to a stop at the alleyway entrance, Little Caroline's eyes going wide in response.

"Come on love," I say urgently, grabbing her and putting my head against hers. "Come back to me sweetheart," I whisper, my eyes fluttering close.

A sudden jolt makes my eyes snap open, finding myself on the floor of the cockpit and Caroline unconscious beside me.

I go to reach out to her, but instantly, she startles awake.

Looking wildly around, her eyes eventually fall on me.

"What happened?"

I sigh, sitting up.

"We screwed up. They must have pulled the plug and are hauling us back to headquarters as we speak."

"What?" Then realization floods her face. "Oh no." She sighs. "All I could remember is drifting and then suddenly I was in a memory with you. I tried to call you but you wouldn't listen and then there was that dark haired man getting torn apart by the Kaiju…"

She trails off, her eyes locking on mine.

"That was Elijah, wasn't it?"

I nod stiffly.

"I'm sorry you had to relive that. I wish I was strong enough to pull you out of it."

I shake my head, turning to face her. "No. You did it. You brought me back Caroline. Thank you."

"I did? Then how come they pulled the plug?"

I avert my eyes.

"Klaus?"

"The strain of pulling me out of my memory caused the control you had over your own mind to weaken, but I was still linked to you so…"

She gasps, mortified. "You saw."

My eyes connect with hers again. "Yes."

She bites her lip and nods, keeping her head low, but I gently lift her face towards mine, stroking her cheeks as I catalog the face of the woman whose pain is so gut wrenchingly similar to mine.

"What?" she whispers, her hand coming up to rest on my cheek, my eyes fluttering close at the contact.

"I don't hate you," I say, my eyes opening to bore into hers and then falling to her lips.

"Why not?" she responds as if in a trance.

"Because...We're the same Caroline."

A soft smile spreads on her face, her thumb brushing over my lower lip to invoke a shudder through my body.

"I think you're right," she breathes out, closing the distance to kiss me with such fire and passion, that it leaves me breathless, hungrier for more.

When we break apart to breath, I smirk at her flushed cheeks.

"And for the record love," I say in a hushed tone, "You are welcome anytime to see if a certain part of my anatomy is as enormous as my ego."

She turns beet red, her mouth dropping open. Before she can say a word, the cockpit doors open and a livid Alaric interrupts us.

"This isn't over," she mumbles under her breath.

"Of course not sweetheart."


End file.
